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Japanquake Wiki
Welcome to the Japanquake Wiki Whether abroad or in Japan, Japanese or foreign, we all share many questions and worries as a result of this earthquake. There is a strong need for a shared, communal place for answers. If you are looking for that, hopefully you can find an answer here. If you see something missing or to improve, '''please contribute. ''' '' This is not trying to replace Twitter, Facebook or other online offerings that have provided a steady stream of information. Rather a place to put these bits and pieces into context and divide helpful information from rumors. Feel free to post anything on here as well as edit/comment. We will make it through this tragedy!'' 東北関東大震災　(Tôhoku Kantô Dai Shinsai) This is what the magnitude 9.0 megaquake that shook Northern Japan on March 11th 2011 became known as. Apart from the immediate destruction it resulted in a tsunami on Japan's east coast and the worst nuclear accident in decades. Wikipedia has more extensive coverage of the events leading up to the disaster and a general assessment of the situation. Getting Help This is the place for information helpful to those directly affected by the quake or those trying to get in touch with a missing person. Evacuating safely This web site provides a basic guide in several languages about how to act in the event of an earth quake. Looking for missing persons Google Person Finder is now tracking data for close to 200,000 people presumed missing. Japan's three major mobile phone companies (Docomo, AU, Softbank) offer services to confirm the safety of missing people by entering their phone numbers. Using Public Transportation Jorudan offers information about current train schedules and suspensions in the Kanto area in Japanese. Kanto Train Status offers the same information, translated into English by volunteers, for those who do not speak Japanese. TimeOut Tokyo also offers train schedule information in English. Narita Airport informs about the status of international flights. Getting shelter This Google Map shows shelters and evacuation sites in Tokyo (Site in Japanese).Couchsurfing has built a platform where volunteers offer people in need temporary accomodation in their homes. Access to electricity Enter your ZIP code here (site in Japanese) to check when your area will be affected by the controlled blackouts. Also check the Tokyo Electric Power Blackout Calendar for a blackout schedule. Preserve body warmth OLIVE has a very useful guide in English, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean, on how to survive in a disaster area. The guide includes information on how to preserve body warmth. Basic commodities OLIVE has a very useful guide in English, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean, on how to survive in a disaster area. The guide includes information on how to make basic commodities like female hygiene napkins or waterless toilets from simple materials you might have on hand. Support Efforts Selection of ways to support the victims of this tragedy and introduce worthy causes. There are a number of initiatives on how to ease the burden of those affected either by gifting or by responsible behavior. Aid : The official advice is not to move from the area you are currently in. Until things are considered more stable, it is suggested that you stay local to your house, so as not to overcrowd transportation and disaster relief routes. Heading to the afflicted area will only crowd the situation, putting more pressure on the limited resources they currently have. For the time being, money donations are considered to be the best way you can help. http://www.timeout.jp/en/tokyo/feature/2532/japan-earthquake-how-you-can-help TimeOut.jp Donate blood Information on who can and who cannot donate blood for quake victims. Restrictions apply mostly to people who have lived abroad. Map of blood donation centers in Tokyo by the Japanese Red Cross. The following ones are open, according to TimeOut Tokyo: : (A) Shinjuku Station west entrance blood donation room (03 3348 1211); © Shinjuku east entrance blood donation room (03 5269 1431; near to Isetan); (D) blood donation room 'Shibu 2' (03 3770 0820); (E) Hachiko-Mae blood donation room (03 3476 2880); (F) Yurakucho blood donation room (03 3213 8666); (G) Akiba blood donation room (03 5298 2811); (H) Akiba-F blood donation room (03 3251 8201); (I) Ikebukuro East blood donation room (03 3988 9000); (J) Blood donation room Buratto (03 5950 3000); (K) Blood donation room Kichijoji Takion (04 2221 9000); (M) Machida blood donation room Comfy (04 2732 8494) : Donate money from Japan You can donate directly and online to the Japanese Red Cross online via Google Crisis Response. Cause Action has an extensive list of donation campaigns for quake and tsunami victims (Site in Japanese). Japan volunteers has more information in English. Apparently, you can make cash donations at all Lawson convenience stores. Japan Volunteers also offers some hints on how to organize donation drives at your workplace, etc.. Give shelter Couchsurfing has built a platform where volunteers offer people in need temporary accomodation in their homes. Love4Japan offers a similar service. Donate emergency goods Japan Volunteer has assembled information on organisations that accept donations of material goods (blankets, food, etc.). The International School in Yokohama is accepting donations of "warm clothing (including winter coats), blankets, shoes (not sandals), clean socks, underwear (new), sleeping bags, personal products (shampoo, toothpaste, soap etc), disposable diapers, backpacks & bags, and sealable lunch bags" for people in the Tohoku region until Friday, the 18th. For more information, please visit their Facebook site. Charity sales Jean Snow offers a list of things you can buy with all of the proceeds going to quake victims. Donate money from abroad How to support relief and reconstruction efforts if you are not in Japan. USA and other countries Japan Volunteers recommends giving directly to Japanese NGOs like JEN and Second Harvest Japan. The American Red Cross as well as the International Red Cross / Red Crescent accept donations. If you have an Apple iTunes account, you can easily make a donation via the iTunes store. Amazon.com also offers an easy way to donate. The Japan Society in New York is also collecting money for quake victims. Check out TimeOut Tokyo for even more international relief organisations and Rick Martin for more ways to donate. InterAction has also a list of religious organisations, NGOs etc. whom you can give to. Germany The German Red Cross financially supports rescue efforts by the Japanese Red Cross. Donations can be made online and are tax-deductible in Germany. No credit card is required. The German Deutsche Zentralinstitut für Soziale Fragen (DZI) has put together further information on how to donate effectively (German PDF file) and offers some alternative relief organisations, including Caritas and Diakonie. People should be careful not to fall for potentially fraudulent donation drives, as the DZI explains: : Die Spendenaktionen für die Opfer des Erdbebens und des Tsunamis in Japan rufen auch Betrüger auf den Plan. Das Deutsche Zentralinstitut für soziale Fragen (DZI) warnte vor einem aktuellen Fall: Unter Verwendung einer angeblichen E-Mail des DZI habe eine Person versucht, bei verschiedenen Tageszeitungen eine Anzeige mit einem Spendenaufruf zu veröffentlichen. Die Spenden, die von einer "privaten Gruppe von Dozenten und Studenten" gesammelt würden, sollten deutschen Opfern in Japan zugutekommen. Das DZI in Berlin distanzierte sich ausdrücklich von dem Aufruf. Weder der Absender noch die angegebene Bankverbindung seien dem Institut bekannt. The website of Duesseldorf University's department of Japanese Studies has more information on donation drives in Germany. In a radio interview, the leader of the Deutsch-Japanischen Gesellschaft am Niederrhein e.V. in Düsseldorf has urged everybody to donate money, not material goods. France The French Red Cross is also taking donations to support the Japanese Red Cross. Volunteer in the reconstruction efforts While the crisis does not appear to be over any time soon, some are already planning ahead to cleanup and reconstruction. Tokyo Quake Cleanup is a Facebook group looking for volunteers among the foreign community: : This group is intended as a clearinghouse of information for foreigners/English speakers who are looking for opportunities to contribute directly to relief efforts in northern Japan. The situation is unlikely to be stable enough for volunteers for the next few days, but the goal is to be ready when that happens. Please post all information on relief efforts and volunteer opportunities here, or tweet me at @davidzmorris and I'll distribute the info. : : : Indirect Support Help find missing persons Google Person Finder is now tracking data for close to 200,000 people presumed missing. Anybody can add information they might have about missing persons. Save energy Basic information about the Japanese power grid and why it is most important to save energy for those living in Eastern Japan. Don't hoard food or gasoline The Japanese government urges everybody not to buy excessive amounts of food, water, or gasoline. These goods are urgently needed in areas directly hit by the quake and tsunami. Help NGOs with communications The Japan Association of Interpreters is assembling a list of volunteer interpreters to help in the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami disaster. If you need an interpreter for your rescue, relief, aid or other organization, please contact someone on this list. If you can volunteer as an interpreter, please contact webmaster@jat.org to have your name added to the list. The Japan Guide Consortium has formed a similiar initiative that organizes on Facebook. They are looking for on-site interpreters. Fukushima Situation This is the place for information on the Fukushima nuclear reactors, the effects the quake had on them and news on radiation leaked. Information Sources Concerning the Fukushima Situation *Japan blog Mutantfrog discusses the radiation safety issue, includes notes from expert talks from the MIT and the results of a meeting with experts at the British embassy. *The MIT has created an information hub that attempts to explain the technical details of the reactor incidents, reasons for the explosions, etc. *The WHO has put up a FAQ on nuclear health concerns. *The Japanese government publishes radiation measurement results, as well as some basic information on radiation exposure, in various languages. *The German government (site in German language) has put together a technical assessment of the radiation situation, as well as a chronology of the reactor accidents following the quake. *Japan-based blogger Gakuranman assembles information from various sources About the Fukushima Reactors There are two sites of reactor blocks that are part of the Fukushima complex, Fukushima One/Daiichi with six reactor blocks and Fukushima Two/Daini with four reactor blocks. All have been affected by the quake and the subsequent Tsunami, but Fukushima One is the problematic site. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fukushima_I_nuclear_accidents Current Radiation Readings and their effect Understanding the measurement units of radiation. Putting radiation readings in context. Here is the Wikipedia article about examples of radiation dosage. Links to real-time radiation readings *Official real-time radiation data from the Japanese government. Presently, no readings for Fukushima and Miyagi prefectures are being published. *Overview page accumulating readings from all over Northern Japan *Continously updated readings from Hino in the West of Tokyo by a private person. *Map of Japan with the location and access to many local measurement stations *Project geigercrowd seeks to collect more data from individuals in Japan who have access to measuring tools. :: geigercrowd is an approach to fill in an information gap. radiation measurements should be open data and provided by the government in an easy to access and uncensored manner. the current situation in japan shows a different picture. websites providing up-to-date meassurements are either down or don't show valid values. this is where we want to fill in. we crowdsource the meassuring to people in japan who operate and own automated or handheld geiger counters or other equipment that delivers data on radiation levels.k Movement of Radioactivity There are two different threats with radioactivity: Direct in the form of gamma rays and indirect in the form of radioactive particles. The first is only of immediate concern at the source, e.g. for the Tepco personnel and forces fighting for control near the reactors. The second can affect areas beyond the plant site, as these particles are small and will be carried with the wind. Their actual distribution and the resulting radiation at a specific point depends on a variety of factors. It is important to notice that a containment breach does not mean that radiation will increase beyond the critical area. Chernobyl was so catastrophic because as a result of unsafe construction, a major explosion occured, which first catapulted many particles high up into the atmosphere and completely layed open the core. Experts agree that this scenario is not only unlikely, but impossible. There is not the same potential for a major explosion. Only if there were full containment breaches at all four reactors, the released radioactivity at the source could reach Chernobyl levels (source?). Depending on how high particles are catapulted into the air, their distribtion will increase and there is a higher chance that they will be carried further away. Weather plays a role, in the form of wind direction as well as thermal pressure zones, that can lift particles higher up or down. As a rule of thumb, the further away from the source, the further the dilution of such particles as they spread out - risks decrease. There are some prediction models, that already take those factors in account and offer an approximate visualization on how the plume could have traveled. The Austrian weather forecast agency put out animated models, that seem to have gone offline (traffic, mirrors?). Swiss service Wetter-Extra (Site in German) offers some animated videos that show wind movement and predicted rainfall in Japan. The site also offers links to other information sources regarding the weather and climate situation. Leaving the area While undoubtedly many foreigners have left the immediate dangerzone and the metropolitan Tokyo/Yokohama area, many (including Japanese) are facing the decision, whether to move. It is hard to make an universal suggestion about the right decision, but this information should help those planning to leave. First of all, expect delays due to the blackouts and strains to the infrastructure. Plan well, move with time to spare and prepare alternative routes if possible. Try to get reconfirmation from service providers. In general the further South from Kanto, the more normal the state of public transportation and flights should be. Embassy warnings Several embassies of major western countries have given out advice to temporarily leave eastern Japan, including Tokyo, and/or have offered assistance to those willing to leave. If you are facing problems convincing your employer, try copying the page source and adding a translation. Many Japanese companies, although dedicated to pervailing and working in the face of crisis and danger, will respect a country's decision. US embassy : The U.S. Embassy in Tokyo informs U.S. citizens in Japan who wish to depart that the Department of State is making arrangements to provide transportation to safehaven locations in Asia. This assistance will be provided on a reimbursable basis, as required by U.S. law. U.S. citizens who travel on US government-arranged transport will be expected to make their own onward travel plans from the safehaven location. Flights to evacuation points will begin departing Japan on Thursday, March 17. http://japan.usembassy.gov/e/acs/tacs-warden20110317-02.html source UK embassy : We advise against all non essential travel to Tokyo and north eastern Japan given the damage caused by the 11 March earthquake and resulting aftershocks and tsunami. Due to the evolving situation at the Fukushima nuclear facility and potential disruptions to the supply of goods, transport, communications, power and other infrastructure, British nationals currently in Tokyo and to the north of Tokyo should consider leaving the area. http://ukinjapan.fco.gov.uk/en/help-for-british-nationals/travel-advice source French embassy : Compte-tenu de l’évolution possible de la situation, il est recommandé aux Français de Tokyo de quitter la région pour le sud du pays ou pour la France. http://www.ambafrance-jp.org/ source German embassy : Sollten Sie in Ostjapan unter Einschluss des Großraumes von Tokyo/Yokohama, des Tohoku-Raumes, Hokkaido sowie der Präfekturen Yamanashi, Nagano, Shizuoka und Niigata wohnen oder sich gegenwärtig dort aufhalten, empfiehlt die Botschaft, dass Sie dieses Gebiet vorübergehend in Richtung Westjapan verlassen, bis die Störung in dem Kraftwerk Fukushima I beseitigt ist. http://www.tokyo.diplo.de/ source Airports Narita Airport As Train service to Narita is infrequent at best, taking the airport limousine bus (with time to spare) seems to best at the moment. On German mailing list J-Studien, a user posts her experience of leaving the country via Narita. According to her statement from March 16, 16:51 CET, taking the airport limousine bus seems to be the best way now. She also recommends staying at one of the airport hotels which operate their own shuttle services. : Ich kann bestätigen, dass die Anreise nach Narita mit dem Bus (Airport Limousine Bus) derzeit am besten zu gehen scheint. Bei mir gab es keine Verspätungen, jedoch sollte man diese großzügig einkalkulieren. Der Bus war bis auf den letzten Platz besetzt, man sollte also rechtzeitig da sein um einen Platz zum gewünschten Abfahrtszeitpunkt zu erhalten. Mein Flug war überbucht, wir sind jedoch mit freien Plätzen gestartet, da es nicht alle rechtzeitig zum Flughafen geschafft haben.Ich empfehle die Übernachtung in einem der Hotels am Flughafen, die ein eigenes Shuttle-Service haben und vorzugsweise Internet, sodass man das Rückflugticket soweit möglich bereits online kauft. Die Schlangen bei den Ticketverkaufschaltern sind sehr lang, aber zivilisiert und gut geregelt. Am 15. März war am gesamten Flughafen Narita der WiFi Internetservice kostenlos. Anrufe über Telefone ins Ausland waren ebenfalls kostenlos, auch wenn dies nirgendwo angemerkt war. Mit 100 Yen konnte ich jedoch minutenlang telefonieren und erhielt das Geld wieder zurück. Ich habe die 001 010 Vorwahl verwendet. Additional News Sources There are a number of ways to inform yourself about current events. While this site tries to give an overview it cannot be as up-to-date as Twitter or news-bulletins on TV. Please feel encouraged to check other sources, but always try to reserve judgement on how trustworthy information presented is. There has been a lot of clamor about the stance of both Japanese and foreign media, based on their different style of reporting. That doesn't mean that either one is right or wrong and makes it even more important to put everything being told in context. When you are scared, it is easy to give in to fear based on dramatic news, rumors or misinformation. TV Several Japanese TV stations are providing their programs around the clock for free. Japanese National Television NHK is probably the most respected source. They stream live in Japanese and English. *http://www.ustream.tv/channel/nhk-world-tv NHK-English *http://www.ustream.tv/channel/nhk-gtv NHK-Japanese *http://www.ustream.tv/channel/tbstv TBS TV REAL TIME *http://live.reuters.com/Event/Japan_earthquake2 Reuters is hosting a constantly updated ticker site, accumulating other sources and user comments *http://twitter.com/#!/TepcoDisaster Real-time updates on the Tepco activities at the Fukushima site.churl List of recent updates in this wiki Category:Browsedally